A Blogging Break

I guessed as I was writing my Nation post that I knew this was coming. I need to take a break from blogging for a week or so. I am feeling rather crappy at the moment and definitely going down with something. I feel tired and really just run down and I am finding it difficult to blog. I am finding everything a little bit of a chore lately and I need to sort myself out, refocus and get my priorities straight. So rather than slogging on and blogging when I don't feel like it, I thought it would be best to take a week out and see how I feel next week.

I will write a double Wuthering Heights post when I get back. Have a great week folks and I will see you soon.

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Pages - 404

Challenges - Support Your Library Challenge, Once Upon a Time Challenge and Young Adults challenge.

Published in 2008 by Doubleday.

The snow came down so thickly that it formed fragile snowballs in the air, which rumbled and melted as soon as they landed on the horses lined up along the dock. It was four in the morning and the place was coming alive and Captain Samson had never seen the dock in such a bustle. The cargo was flying out of the ship, literally; the cranes strained in their efforts to get the bales out as quickly as possible. The ship stank of the disinfectant already, stand of the stuff. Every man that came on board was so drenched in it that it dribbled out of his boots. But that wasn't enough; some of them had squelched aboard with big heavy spray cans, which spat an acid-pink fog over everything.

Poor Mau is returning to his home after training to become a man on Boy's Island. As he tries to travel home, a tsunami destroys his island and causes mass devastation. Everyone he has ever known has died and he is left on the island alone. Or so he thinks. When the tsunami hit the island, the huge wave stranded a schooner called the Sweet Judy on the island and only one life is left aboard, a young trouser man girl. The two of them are left on the island to make a future for themselves and try and rebuild the Nation that once was.

Firstly if you are expecting to find Discworld hidden amongst the pages, then be prepared as you won't find it. Pratchett described the setting as a parallel universe similar to the Pacific Ocean set in the 1800's. The book consists of bits of reality mixed in with a good dose of imagination.

For the first few chapters of this book, I felt such a deep sadness. Poor Mau, was so young, yet he managed to send every last soul off to heaven by burying them at sea. He is worried that he hasn't become a man in the tradition of his kin, yet he does more than any man would ever have to in his lifetime and this one action of burying all the islanders he has known all his life, makes him a man.

The book is about overcoming obstacles in order to make life more bearable. Daphne the trouser man girl and Mau manage to over come their language differences and learn to work together to make the island more hospitable to all the new arrivals who have lost their homes. The book also looks at the circle of life and shows how children grow and come to an age of reason and respect.

I truly loved this book. The writing would lead me from tears to laughter as the book progresses and Daphne and Mau try to act as adults with and manage with grace and dignity. Both characters are so strong, that you forget they are actually children. They did remind me of Tiffany Aching from A Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith, two books from Pratchett's Discworld series.

This book has a little bit of everything within it. There is romance, there is courage and there are huge doses of humour, hidden amongst the pages too. There were times where I couldn't stop giggling to myself.

It is a book that is beautifully written and needs to be read by all. It is sheer escapism which I couldn't get enough of. I found the first half of the book quite breathtaking, whilst Daphne and Mau are alone on the island, once more people arrived though I felt that something was lost between them and it was no longer their story anymore. I dearly loved both characters and would have loved the book to end differently. I am happy with the ending, but being quite a romantic I would have preferred it if it had ended a different way.

Other reviews of this book

Firefly's Book Blog

Fluttering Butterflies

Nothing of Importance

Things Mean Alot

PS. You will have to excuse my review of this book. I am not having the best of days and nearly didn't post, so I apologise if it is pants, but I can't really think straight today. Do you ever get those days when you are trying to review a book and it is just not happening, which for me is a shame, as this book is really beautiful. I feel like I am shortchanging you guys today, so apologies.

A bit of everything.

I apologise for my absence this weekend, but we have had rather a hectic one and sometimes you just don't get time to get to the blogging world. We went to a fabulous party on Saturday and then the girls were in and out of the house all day yesterday as they had lots of dance practices for their show.

I haven't even picked up a book all weekend, which is really bad for me. I hope to get some serious reading done this week to catch up.

I joined a mini challenge last week which was being organised by Ana over at Things Mean Alot. The challenge is based on books from the 1930's and you only have to read one to complete it. It runs for three months (April 18th – July 18th), so if you are interested in joining in, then click on Ana's name above to take you through to the challenge page.

I thought I would quickly share a book with you, which I managed to get from the library. It is more suitable for a scrapbook beginner, but I found by looking through it, it gave me a few new ideas to use up things that I already had. Like decorative scissors, which have sat in my drawer for nearly two years, can now be brought to use again, to give pretty boarders. It also has hints for altering brads, which is something I have never thought of.

There are lots of pretty layouts that can be copied, so it is a fabulous book for anyone who is beginning to scrap or for any older scrappers who need a new look at their old stash.

One of my birthday parcels arrived this week. These books were all ordered from Amazon using an Amazon voucher.

1) Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon. - Alyce from At Home With Books, has read the whole series and her reviews had me reaching for this time travelling book. Hubby managed to pick up the second two books from the hospital charity shop where he works, so I knew I had to get the first one too.

2) Beastly by Alex Flynn - this is a retellling of Beauty and the Beast and one I have been after for a while.

3) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - After reading Amanda's review of this book over at The Zen Leaf, I knew I had to have it.

4) Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu - I wanted this after reading Ana's review over at Things Mean Alot.

I can't wait to get into these books. I have one last pile of books arriving this week and then that will be it for awhile. My purse will stay firmly shut for the near future, when walking past book shops.

I have quite a few reviews to get through this week and may double up on a couple to get them up before the end of the month. I like to start the month with a clean slate.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter

Pages - 191

Challenges - Angela Carter month organised by Claire at Paperback Reader

Published by Virago in 1982

The last night I spent in London, I took some girl or other to the movies, and, through her mediation, I paid you a little tribute of spermatozoa, Tristessa.

This is a dystopian novel set in New York, where a civil war has erupted separating the population by race and gender. Evelyn, a male professor sets off to New York to take up a new teaching position. Due to the civil war the teaching post falls through, Evelyn is at a lost, but fills his time with an obsession, Leilah, an African American, underaged night club dancer. He is totally obsessed with her and treats her quite badly. When she becomes pregnant, he becomes repulsed by her and sends her off to hospital for an abortion that ends up leaving her unable to ever have children any more.

With a small inheritance that he receives, he abandons Leilah and races off into the American desert where he is captured by a woman who takes him to live in the city of Beulah. This is as much as I will tell you, because I really don't want to spoil this story. All that I can say is that Evelyn undergoes a transformation. Whilst reading it, I kept holding my breath as the situation changed and went from one extreme to another. The story is full of twists and turns which at times lost me and had me scanning back through the pages to find the clues I had missed. This story has to be the most bizarre book I have ever read. The changes that occur to Evelyn are quite mind boggling and rather sadistic. I am surprised that Evelyn did not top himself by the end of the book, because I do believe any sane person would have reached for poison long before the end of the book.

At times this story was crude and barbaric and it would not normally have been a book I would have picked up, however, I was unusually fascinated by the changes that occurred to Evelyn. This book is not for the faint hearted, it has a high level of sexual content in it, and the violence is a little extreme for my taste. It reminded me a little of what I had read in Jeanette Winterson's book 'Sexing the Cherry,' although during that book I could see no reason for the graphic sexual content, whereas in this book it had a purpose.

Within this book, the majority of female characters are very strong. In quite a large part, most of the women are in control of all the situations. However, there are some women within the book, who are basically beaten into submission and I did find that this really didn't sit well with me at all.

I have to say that this is a really hard book to review without giving away a major part of the plot. I finished reading it last week and I still can't make up mind whether I liked it or not and I do believe it is the sexual content that is affecting my judgement. I am not a prude, but I just don't feel comfortable reading about anyone being ripped of their dignity in a sexual situation. Yet the book is beautifully written, the descriptions are vivid and full of life.

All I can conclude from this book was that Carter was not afraid to speak her mind and did not care what people thought of her unusual imagination. I have read other books by Angela Carter and I would probably say that I disliked this one the most, even though it was so beautifully written. I am quite lost for words. I am not sure if this is a feminist book, as in parts in turns feminism on it's head. It definitely looks closely at the role of gender. The book also looks at sins and how they are forgiven in the end.

I would suggest others read it and decide for themselves whether they like it or not, as this book will not appeal to everyone. Personally, I am still perched happily on the fence unsure which wait I should fall.

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Pages - 327

Challenges - Young Adult

Published by Harper Collins in 2008

The burning arrow thudded into the wall. Fire. The old, dry wood of the meeting house ignited in an instant. Dark, oily smoke filled the air, scratching my lungs and making me choke. Around me, my new friends cried out in shock before grabbing weapons, preparing to fight for their lives.

Bianca has to start a new academy and she already knows that she won't fit in. Her parents are to teach there, a bad start already, and the other students are smarter, sleeker and very territorial. The only light at the end of the tunnel, is Lucas, another new student, who warns Bianca to be careful. As their feelings grow for each other, the dark secrets of Evernight Academy race to tear them apart. Will they ever manage to be together.

The last few Young Adult books dealing with either vampires or angels have left me feeling rather dissatisfied, so I was really pleased when I found I couldn't put this book down. Yes, I know it has vampires in and vampires seem to be taking over the underworld of the Young Adult market, but this one is actually very good. I really was vamped out before reading it, yet this book left me desperate for the sequel.

This book has two major twists in it that although I knew they were there, I had no idea what they would be and both twists blew me away. I am not going to tell you what these twists are because I don't want to spoil it for you, but they shocked me and were totaly unexpected. They had me reading back through the previous pages for clues that I should have picked up. I realised the clues were there, only very subtle.

This is definitely a Romeo and Juliet style book with the star crossed lovers desperate to be together and everyone adamant that they will never be as one. This book has a dark Gothic feel to it, which appeals to my inner Victorian, even though it is set in the modern day. The characters are interesting and I felt involved with the story from the beginning.

This is a great easy read, if you want to lighten the load, after reading lots of more in depth books. It is a bit like a carton of Haagan Daz icecream after a week of healthy bran muffins. Sometimes you have to indulge in a little of what you fancy!

Definitely one of the better vampire YA books around at the moment. It ends on a cliffhanger, so if you don't want to get stuck in a series, then maybe this one isn't for you.

Other reviews

Melissa's Bookshelf

The Eclectic Reader

Wuthering Wednesday

This is week 3 of Softdrinks's Wuthering Heights read a long which you will find here. This week we needed to read three more chapters starting at Chapter 7. Other people joining in with the readalong are as follows:

Literate Housewife
Messy Karen
Victoria
Jenny (Take Me Away)
Ti (Book Chatter)
Lisa – Lit And Life
Dar@ Peeking Between the Pages
J.C. Montgomery (The Biblio Blogazine)
Whitney
JoAnn (Lakeside Musing)
Gentle Reader (Shelf Life)
Amy at New Century Reading
Geri at One More Foggy Notion

This week the story seemed to hot up a little bit for me, making me even more desperate to continue reading and having to try a little self control and hold back a bit.

Chapter 7 brought the return of Catherine to Wuthering Heights after the dog bite kept her as a temporary invalid and convalescing at the Earnshaws. When Cathy returns she presents a more demure side to her personality. It appears that the Earnshaws have given her a lobotomy during her visit, as she is unrecognisable in her behaviour, leaving Heathcliff ashamed of his appearance and manner. I could not help but feel sorry for Heathcliff whilst reading this chapter. He had gone from being a loved member of the family to being treated no better than the farm animals. His appearance followed step by step with his feelings of depression. The following passage best describes the way he appeared to himself and others.

'His childhood's sense of superiority, instilled into him by the favours of old Mr Earnshaw, was faded away. He struggled long to keep up an equality with Catherine in her studies, and yielded wih poignant though silent regret: but he yielded completely; and here no prevailing on him to take a step in the way of moving upward, when he found he must, necessarily, sink beneath his former level. Then personal appearance sympathised with mental deterioration: he acquired a slouching gait, and ignoble look; his naturally reserved disposition was exaggerated into an almost idiotic excess of unsociable moroseness; and he took a grim pleasure, apparently, in exciting the aversion rather than the esteem of his few acquaintance.

During the Christmas celebration which found Heathcliff banished, Heathcliff took an instant dislike to Earnshaw and expressed his distaste physically, causing Heathcliff to be beaten by Hindley. Poor Heathcliff!

Chapter 8 finds us joyous at the birth of Hareton, who we met earlier in the book as an adult and living with Heathcliff. Unfortunately our joy is short lived when his mother dies of consumption, sending her husband Hindley to drink and disorder. He cannot cope with the loss of his wife and leaves his son in the hands of the narrator, Mrs Dean, to nurture his childhood. In this chapter we also see Catherine reveal her true colours after her stay with the Earnshaws. Catherine reveals to Edgar Earnshaw how volatile she is by hitting him. Strangely, this draws him closer to her. Some people never learn,do they?

Chapter 9 brings a rather nasty incident, where Hindley returns blind drunk and begins a row with his young son, whom he decides to hold over the banisters and actually drop. Luckily for Hareton, Heathcliff was underneath to catch him and save his life, but the child is completely distraught. I can't imagine he ever loved his father after this. Also in this chapter, Cathy reveals to Mrs Dean that Edgar has proposed, Cathy measures her feelings for Edgar against her feelings for Heathcliff. Heathcliff misinterprets her words and thinking that Cathy does not love him, leaves Wuthering Heights at speed and does not return.

My thoughts

I really do think that Emily Bronte should have given her characters different names. I keep getting confused with all the names beginning with 'H'. It would definitely have made the story easier to follow and the characters would have been easier to identify.

I really don't like Hindley at all, especially after nearly killing his son. I am almost glad to think that Heathcliff will eventually get all Hindley's money, as he deserves to lose it after such violence and cruelty. Catherine doesn't really come across as nice either. I had hoped she would turn out better after being such a naughty child, but alas no, she has only learnt to hide her talents for nastiness, only to be revealed when the whim takes her.

During Chapter 7, we see a brief return of Lockwood, but thankfully,it is brief. I still just don't like him. In fact I don't particularly like any of the characters, yet I am compelled to continue reading. Normally my dislike would make me disinterested in a book, but within this book I just can't wait to read what happens.

Near the end of Chapter 9, Joseph decides to speak and I have to admit, I didn't understand a word he was saying. The language was impossible for me to decipher and I am a Brit, used to such strange dialects.

I am still really enjoying this book, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out just reading three chapters a week. Aargh!

Surviving The Volcano by Stanley Williams

Pages - 241

Challenges - Every Month is a Holiday

Published by Abacus in 2001

My colleagues came and went in the clouds. Banks of cumulus drifted across the peaks of the Andes, enveloping us in a cool fog that made it impossible to see anything but the gray rubble on which we stood. Perched at 14,000 feet on a cone of volcanic debris in southwestern Colombia, we were checking the vital signs of Galeras - gases, gravity, anything that would tells us whether the volcanon might erupt.

As I mentioned in Sunday's post, I picked this book up before the volcano erupted in Iceland and it is purely coincidental. I had nothing to do with the volcano erupting and causing mayhem around the world. Honest!

I actually read it to coincide with Earth week which is this week. For those of you who are unaware of Earth Week, it is a week-long celebration of the Earth and the environment, in order to get environmental sustainability into the hearts and minds of the world. What better way to promote it than reading about one of Earth's most powerful attributes.

This book is a non fiction account of a volcanic eruption that occurred on Galeras, a Colombian volcano in 1993. Stanley Williams was standing on top of the volcano when it erupted and witnesses several of his colleagues incinarated instantly. Williams did all that he could to escape the mountain, whilst it pelted him with white hot stones, which were faster than bullets and nearly broke his ankle off completely. He could not move and lay helplessly there whilst the volcano continued to spit rock at him. If it wasn't for the courage of two very brave women who mounted a rescue party to save him and his colleagues, he would not be with us today.

I had certain expectations of this book before I read it based purely on the blurb at the back and not because I love a good disaster, because I am not that kind of person. I can't even watch any type of disasters, real or fantasy on the TV. Normally I will bury my head in the sand or put my fingers in my ears if disasters are shown, because they scare the hell out of me.

However, I had assumed that Williams was the only one to be rescued and perhaps the only survivor, yet it was clear as I read the book that that wasn't the case. In fact, I became aware that the other volcanologists who were rescued were a little bit peeved at Williams ten minutes of fame as the only survivor when they too managed to live to tell the tale. In the book, Williams who was head of the team that was carrying out research on the mountain that day, was blamed for taking the limelight, as well as putting his team in danger in the first place, by not realising the mountain was about to erupt. Williams freely admits to taking his moment in history as a soul survivor and does apologise for it, however, he makes no claims to being responsible for taking the team up there in the first place. As far as he was concerned, the rest of the team had the same knowledge that he had and all went willingly.

Another assumption I had about this book, was that the eruption was a huge one that shattered the surrounding towns around it. Fortunately, it never affected the villages below and some of the residents had not realised until the news told them that it had in fact erupted. I am quite thankful to think that the villagers did not suffer as if the eruption had been bigger, whole villages could have been wiped out. The fact that lives were lost, is upsetting, however, I am not sure that they died in vain, as a lot was learnt from this eruption, which allowed them to realise when a volcano is basically plugging itself up and quietening down as it is preparing itself for eruption.

My last assumption was that the rescue of Williams was a long and drawn out one, similar to scenes from the Pierce Brosnan film, Dante's Peak. For his sake and the other survivors, I am so glad it wasn't. I had imagined them struggling to get him down from the mountain, where in actual fact, he was rescued within a couple of hours of the volcano going off.

I am not saying that this book isn't heroic and very traumatic, because it most definitely is, I just think I was expecting the content to be different, in accordance with the blurb on the back. My highly active imagination got slightly carried away, and in truth I am pleased for the survivors that they did not have to suffer more than they did. I am upset that anyone had to perish at all. I almost feel that the publishers misled the audience about the content of the book.

Once I came to terms with my assumptions being totally wrong, I have to say I found this book extremely fascinating in parts and heartwrenching in others. There was lots more to it, than just the account of the volcano exploding. A lot of extremely talented volcanologists lost there lives on that volcano and you cannot help but wonder, if they didn't know it was going to go off, with all their years of studying volcanoes, what chance do the rest of civilization have. Especially as so many people actually live very close to or on active volcanoes. Did you know that if Mount Vesuvius erupted in the near future, it would wipe out Naples.

Before reading this book, I wasn't aware how many volcanoes were actually active. America has had 67 volcanoes active over the last several thousand years, 52 of which are in Alaska alone. I never really thought about the affects they would have on the Earth, but when you think about the fact that they believe the last big eruption of the Iceland volcano led to the Irish potato famine, due to the sun being blocked out for such long period of time. It is a little scary. I am beginning to wonder if I was better off, when I didn't know so much about volcanoes, especially under the present circumstances!

Here is a passage from the book that really grabbed my attention.

When and where will the next volcanic disaster strike? We don't really know, but there are some things we can say with certainty. First 1,500 active volcanoes worldwide potentially threaten about 500 million people. Second, rapid population growth in the developing world has put far more people near volcanoes than ever before. Third, in any given year, about 50 volcanoes erupt worldwide. Fourth, every decade the world experiences an eruption the size of that at Mount Helens, every century we see an eruption the size of Pinatubo's and every 500 to 1,00years we can expect a blast as massive as Tambora's. Fifth, the Earth has been shaped by eruptions far larger than these, and at some time in the coming millennia- perhaps in 2,000 years, perhaps in 50,000- we are likely to see an apocalyptic blast that could kill millions of people and seriously alter the earth's climate.

Food for thought, I feel. Such a cheerful post for everyone today. If you are interested in how volcanoes work and the history of eruptions, then this is definitely a book worth reading. Happy Earth Week!

PS. I have reread this post so many times and I am still not sure if I am happy with it. I don't want to come across as callous at all. I really did get the impression before I read it that it would be a story of one man's survival to get off the volcano, yet that was just a small part of it. I hate to read about anyone dying at all, let alone in such extreme situations like this. My thoughts are with the families of the volcanologists past and present, who put their lives in extreme danger in order to help the rest of us stay safe. Without them, so many people would have died, without evacuation procedures and constant monitoring being in place.

Monday Mailbox

By the end of May I am definitely going on a book ban. I just have far too many books and not enough time to read them, so I intend to stop buying them unless they are part of a series that I am desperately waiting to read. I will have to wait until the end of May, as I have another two parcels of books arriving. In my defence again, they were bought with book vouchers, just as the ones pictured above were. Once the third parcel is in, then that will be it for awhile I am promising myself.

I also plan to finish all the books I have from the library and then stay away from the library for at least a couple of months. This is not because I don't adore the library, because you know I do, it is just that I want to make a serious dent in the books that I have on my own shelves. My only reason for breaking this will be for books for my American Journey challenge which I know I will need, but as I still have a pile to go for Alabama, I know I won't need any for a while.


So back to the lovely books sitting in my birthday pile.


1) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I have been wanting to read Ishiguro for ages and this one has been recommended to me.


2)Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. After reading Un Lun Dun, this seemed like an ideal book to read and as I understand from other book bloggers, Neverwhere is better.


3) The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech. I loved her book The Unfinished Angel, which I read earlier this year, so I couldn't resist buying this one, which I got for a pound.


4) White Cat by Holly Black - this was sent to me by Amanda from 'Life and Times of A 'New' New Yorker' who won't be a New Yorker for much longer as she is moving to Kentucky. She wasn't keen to read it and knowing how much I love Holly Black, she asked me if I wanted her copy, which isn't even out yet over here. I can't wait to read it.


5) The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly. When I mentioned I had bought Connelly's book 'The Gates' earlier this year, a lot of you mentioned this book as being really good, so I couldn't resist it as it was selling for just a pound too.


6) Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman - couldn't resist this one as it is set in Alabama around the time of Rosa Parks arrest. It is a true story that has been made into fiction.


7) The Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda - a young adult book dealing with the Knights Templar, a society I have been fascinated with for a while.


8) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This one has popped up a few times to recently.

When I went up to the counter to purchase these books, the lady serving looked at me agog. 'My you have a mixture of tastes, don't you?' she said. Well I suppose I have, because basically I will read anything and everything, (except Shakespeare, because I just don't understand it) I don't want to be someone who only reads one genre, I would definitely get bored. I cannot help but see all those different books as new doorways into new worlds and new subjects and I have such a thirst to read everything and anything. Is that bad?

These books came to me courtesy of my brother and his wife. My brother is a bit of a hero as he ran the Brighton Marathon yesterday, which is about 26 miles. He raised money for the Lupus Charity and I am really proud of him. Today he plans to get drunk as he hasn't had a drink since before Christmas, due to all the training. I can't say I blame him at all.

Off now to clean my house from top to bottom, as now the kids are back at school I can have a clean house again. Yay!

Have a great day everyone.

TTFN

Sunday Salon

Good morning Sunday Saloners,

I hope this post finds you well and rested on this glorious Sunday morning. I have had a really busy week as the children have been off school, but they go back tomorrow, so I will hopefully get some time to myself again.

I have managed to read more books this week than of recent weeks, but I am beginning to find the books I pick a little coincidental. On Monday, I began reading Surviving The Volcano and what happens on Wednesday, an Icelandic volcano erupts bringing every airport in England to a standstill all weekend. You may just brush this off, but when I decided to read The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger then sadly passed away the day before I published my review. I am wondering if my choice of books may be more than coincidence!

I suppose by reading about volcanoes, it has made me more knowledgeable,as now I actually know what they are talking about when they mention things like 'pyroclastic flows' and 'magma'. I have to admit being glued to the television when reports about the eruption are aired, I can't help but find the whole process of how a volcano erupts fascinating. Anyway I hope to finish Surviving the Volcano later today as I plan to review it this week to help celebrate Earth Week which starts tomorrow. I was a bit naughty yesterday, as usually I only read two books at a time, but something made me pick up The Onion Girl by Charles De Lint and now I can't put it down.

I just wanted to tell you about Persephone Week which begins on the 3rd of May and runs through to the 9th of May. It is being organised by Claire over at Paperback Reader and it is worth joining in the fun if you happen to have a couple of Persephone books in your possession. I have three books that I am planning to read for Persephone Week and I hope that I manage to read all three. Claire is also running an Angela Carter month through April, so if you have any Angela Carter books you have been meaning to read then this is the time to get them out and dust them off before April moves into May.

Couldn't resist sharing a couple of pictures of my reading companion, George. If this cat could be with me all the time, he would. Whenever I sit down to read he is there, he knows when I sit down and comes running from upstairs. Hubby says he is like my shadow and if I had a baby pouch, he would probably sit in it.Poor George, has some issues though, he is definitely the original scaredy cat. He is actually afraid of his own shadow and I am not joking. Here he is covering his face, as he tries to sleep.

He eventually realised I was taking pictures of him and gave me a look of disgust.

I probably won't get much reading done today until this evening, as with the kids back at school tomorrow, I seem to have a list of jobs that require my attention. My blog may be review heavy this week, as I have a pile waiting to be discussed.

I hope you have a great day.

Book Blogger Hop

I keep seeing this around the blogging world so I thought I would go and take a look. It seems that everyone who book blogs gets to have a bit of a shindig on a Friday, and get to visit each other and say hello. Now I know there are loads of new blogs out there that I have never got to read, so I thought I would join in.

I will let Jennifer of Crazy for Books explain the whole set up for you.

ABOUT THE HOP:
In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! So, I created this weekly BOOK PARTY where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start PARTYING!!Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.
If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

If you fancy joining in then visit Jennifer at Crazy for Books here.

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Pages - 118

Republished by BN Publishing in 2008

Who can I blame for the purchase : Ana from Things Mean Alot

The education given to Flora Poste by her parents had been too expensive, too full of team sports, and too long. So when they died of a sudden illness within a few weeks of each other, during her twentieth year, Flora was discovered to possess every skill except that of earning enough to live on.

Flora, orphaned unexpectedly at 19 and left with little inheritance and no suitable skills for finding a career, decides to write to all her existing relatives to see if anyone will take her in. She is determined to find a strain of her family that needs her to supervise them and change their lifestyle.

Flora receives a cryptic letter from Judith Starkadder, who has expected to hear from Flora for years. A great wrong happened to her father years ago and now Judith feels that they should put it right by taking his daughter in to live with them.

Flora arrives at Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex and begins to alter the lives of the rather eccentric characters living there. Within weeks she has turned the household round and set them all free from the aunt who controls everyone in the household from high up in her locked room.

Oh how I loved this book and I have to say a big thank you to Ana for bringing it to my attention last December. I was enthralled by this book from page one, it was such a delightful read.

Flora is a fantastic lead character within the book and she came across as a cross between Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee as she carefully evaluates what each family member needs in order to turn their lives around. I can almost see Flora with a magic wand in her hand, waving it over each character, like a fairy godmother and solving each of their problems with ease.

To get a better picture of Flora, here is a quote that describes the way she thinks.

'On the whole, I dislike my fellow-beings; I find them so difficult to understand. But I have a tidy mind, and untidy lives irritate me. Also, they are uncivilized.'

Aunt Ada Doom is a blast. She has convinced the whole family that she is mad and they are too frightened to go against her. She rules the house and every one's finances from her ivory tower and only graces them with her presence once in a blue moon. Her whole madness revolves around one small event in time, 'when she saw something nasty in the woodshed.' Yet Flora soon takes her to hand and even manages to change Aunt Ada's life for the better too.

This wonderful book is a book of parodies, basically sending up a collection of our most classical fiction. Wuthering Heights is the book that it sends up the most, with the sister of the household Elfine resembling Cathy on the lonely moors. Although this is difficult for me to actually see at the moment, as I am only up to chapter six in Wuthering Heights. Also I believe that Aunt Ada Doom is a bit of a take off of a Mrs Rochester in Jane Eyre.

Two followup books were written about Cold Comfort Farm. The first one 'Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm' is a set of short stories which prequel the arrival of Flora at Cold Comfort Farm. The second book 'Conference at Cold Comfort Farm' is a sequel to the book I read and occurs sixteen years after the first one.

In Ana's review over at Things Mean Alot, she mentioned that someone had suggested to her that Cold Comfort Farm held similarities to I Capture the Castle by Dodi Smith. I could understand the connection, as I could feel a similar magical quality to both books. It is hard to explain, but each one has an air of fairytale to it and I would describe both as magical books to read.

This is a fabulous book full of hilarity and magic. It is a relatively short read and a definite must for anyone who loves a happy ending.

Other reviews of this book.

(You can read Ana's review, if you click on her name above)

Rose City Reader

Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory : The Life of Rosa Parks by Douglas Brinkley

Well, I am still in Alabama and probably will be for a little while longer as I have now found myself caught up in the history of the state. There are some marvellous people who have lived and learnt in Alabama and Rosa Parks stands out as one of the most determined ones at that.

In December 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, a 42 year old black seamstress called Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus to a white passenger. Her arrest led to a 381 day boycott of the city bus system by all black people. The boycott was led by a young Baptist minister called Martin Luther King, and is now considered the beginning of the American civil rights movement.

I really have to apologize for my ignorance here, as up until researching through my guide about Alabama, I had never ever heard of Rosa Parks. My daughters who are just ten knew exactly who she was and told me she was the woman who wouldn't move off her seat on the bus, so I am pleased that the English education system has changed it's ways and given a broader view of world history, which did not occur during my education. I cannot help but feel badly about not knowing who she was, when she was such a strong and important woman during the 20th Century. She is renowned as 'America's first lady of courage', a title she so greatly deserves.

This book was written by Douglas Brinkely, who discovered whilst teaching about the great lady, that no biography had ever actually been written about her life. There were some children's books relating to her story, but nothing else, so Brinkley set out to discover the true story of Rosa Parks and was lucky enough to get to spend time with her during times of her ailing health.

I found the book to be utterly fascinating and I thought I would give you a few points of interest from her life story.

• As a child, Rosa took a lot of her inspiration and determination from another great lady of Alabama, Helen Keller, the deaf,dumb and blind girl who I talked about recently, who went on to conquer the world and show us anything is possible.
• James F. Blake was the bus driver who had Rosa arrested, yet this was not the first time she had run into him and it seems that history books tend to overlook their first encounter ten years before. Previously, he had insisted she get off the bus and use the back entrance and had been really nasty to her, leaving Rosa vowing never to get on his bus again. The day she refused to move from her seat, happened as an accident, when she absentmindedly got on Blake's bus again.
• Parks suffered from a lack of financial stability for most of her life and it wasn't until later years when her health was ailing, that she found life a little more luxurious.
• The return of the black soldiers after World War 2 brought a change in the respect the black people had for the white Americans. It was discovered that the Nazis were actually treated better than the soldiers of colour and were allowed to eat in local cafes, whereas the people of colour were sent around the back.

There are some memorable lines from the book which I feel I need to share with you too.

'The story of Montgomery is the story of 50,000 Negroes who were willing to substitute tired feet for tired souls and walk the streets of Montgomery until the walls of segregation were finally battered by the forces of justice.' This was a line taken from Martin Luther King's book Strive Toward Freedom.

'Martin Luther King,JR., didn't start the American civil rights movement, but early on his brilliance made him its polestar, and when that guiding light was blotted out in April 1968, those who had looked to it seemed to lose their way in the darkness his death left behind. '

This book not only gives you the life story of Rosa Parks, but it also gives you the historical background and the people involved with the American Civil Rights movement. I had alway presumed that Martin Luther King was the front runner in this race, yet he came into the campaign as an after thought and there were many other fine people who led the way before him.

Rosa Parks was an inspirational woman, yet she came across to everyone who knew her as humble and down to earth. She never revelled in the fame her actions brought her, yet as time passed a lot of people involved in the civil rights movement, began to shun her out of jealousy of her fame. From that point on, she moved away as she could not cope with such ill feeling. She was cast aside for many years and her story was often not included in the accounts of the birth of the American Civil Rights, yet over the past twenty odd years, her story has begun to shine through and she has taken her place next to the other inspirational women of the twentieth century.

Nelson Mandela's visit to America following his release from prison after twenty seven years says it all. Rosa had been missed off the guest list to meet him, yet after pulling a few strings she got the opportunity to be there. When he arrived, Nelson started to chant Rosa's name, tears filling his eyes as he finally met the legend that was Rosa Parks.

I would highly recommend reading this book as it definitely opened my eyes to the history of the American Civil Rights movement. I feel so much better for reading this book, as I realise that in our lifetime there will always be difficulties, there will always be difficulties to overcome, yet with a little bit of faith and a whole lot of positivity, we can achieve the unachievable. Life is there for us to take and grab with both hands and bring about the things our hearts most truly desire.

Wuthering Wednesday

Firstly thank you to everyone who sent me warm wishes either through here or on Facebook for my birthday. Unfortunately it wasn't the best day as I felt quite poorly most of the day and didn't have the energy to do much, but I got lots of lovely cash to spend when I feel better. My girlies also bought me some lovely bits, including a lovely bookmark and person saying to the best mum, they are really cute and they chose them themselves.

This is week 2 of Softdrinks's Wuthering Heights read a long which you will find here. This week we needed to read three more chapters starting at Chapter 4.

Chapter 4 begins with a rather shaken up Lockwood who decides to quiz Mrs Dean the housekeeper about the life and times of his landlord. The story then progresses from her point of view and I have to say I much prefer her voice to Lockwood's. Mrs Dean is only too eager to pass on her knowledge of Heathcliff's past. I was completely surprised to discover that Heathcliff was an orphan who was taken in by the Earnshaw family. I was still a little confused over the identity of the family members during this chapter as the names Linton and Earnshaw kept cropping up and swapping over.

The young Hindley sounds like a nasty piece of work, but that is probably due to his jealousy over the affection his father bestows on the newcomer, affection his father has never shown either himself or his sister Cathy. Cathy shows a strong allegiance with Heathcliff from the beginning, which only seems to grow over the next couple of chapters.

Chapter 5 brings the sudden illness of the older Mr Earnshaw, who unable to cope sends Hindley away to school. Mr Earnshaw struggles to cope with Cathy too, who is constantly causing trouble and being very naughty. The end of the chapter brings the demise of Mr Earnshaw. High winds surround the house almost like a calling for his soul to be carried to heaven. His death brings Catherine and Heathcliff closer together.

Chapter 6 sees the return of young Hindley after a couple of years absence and with him he brings his new wife, a wife whose appearance is a shock to the rest of the residents in the house. Hindley's return comes hand in hand with his hate of Heathcliff and he banishes him to live with the servants. This chapters sees the bond between Catherine and Heathcliff strengthen. Although after an incident where Catherine is badly bitten by a neighbour's dog, I get the impression that the relationship between them may change.

I have to say I have really enjoyed the change of voice for these chapters. The writing is easier to read and flows much more smoothly. I had always imagined Catherine as an innocent young girl, yet she appears to be a bit of a madam who is really intent on hurting her father during his illness. I get a strong feeling of a very close bond between Catherine and Heathcliff, almost like brother and sister, yet close friends too. It is almost them against the rest of the world.

I can't wait to read what happens next and I am really pleased that my knowledge of this book is limited and that I have no idea what might happen next.

Library Loot and other things.

Firstly congratulations to all the participants of Dewey's Readathon on Saturday. My google reader nearly blew a gasket when I switched it on. I saw that many of you did so well and managed to read so many books. So well done all of you.
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. I really shouldn't get any library books out as I already have loads on my cards, but I just couldn't resist these ones.

1) Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbons - after reading and enjoying Cold Comfort Farm by Stellas Gibbons, I discovered this one on Nymeth's blog and just had to read it.

2) Fables - Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham - Now I know this isn't the first one in his series but I can't seem to get hold of it from the library, so I went with the one that I could get. I thought it would be ideal for the Once Upon a Time challenge as well as the Graphic Novel Challenge.

3) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore. I didn't realise that this comic book series came before the film. I had imagined it as a fictional novel, never as a graphic novel, ideal for the Graphic Novel Challenge.

4) Black Unicorn by Tanith Lee - I know absolutely nothing about this one at all, but I thought it would fit perfectly in the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

5) Fair Play by Tove Jansson - I loved reading The True Deceiver by Jansson late last year and was determined to read more by this author, so when I saw this I couldn't resist.

6) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - this will be my last books for the GLBT challenge. It is a non fictional account of the brutal 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, a wealthy farmer from Holcomb, Kansas; and his wife and two of their children. I know that sounds so gruesome, but I have wanted to read this one for ages.

7) The Onion Girl by Charles De Lint - I am under the impression that really I cannot take part in the Once Upon a Time Challenge without reading Charles De Lint, so I had to get this.

8) Summertime by J.M. Coetzee - this was one of the shortlisted books for the Man Booker Prize and it will also fit nicely with the Australian Challenge. Although I have just realised there are two other books in this series, I just hope this one reads well as a stand alone.

I also want to show the books I bought which I totally blame on Carmen and Petty Witter. I had no intention of buying the Sookie Stackhouse series but they held my arm behind my back and made me buy them. I hope you are both ashamed of yourself.

I just wanted to also show you my scrapbooking buys from Saturday. As you may have read, I couldn't take part in the readathon as I was in London buying lots of goodies. I had a fantastic day and was really pleased that I got to finally meet the lovely Carmen from Whoopidoo _ings

I was very good and didn't spend all my money. I have been in a bit of a scrapping slump lately, so I am hoping these new purchases will get me back into it. I seemed to have purchased a huge amount of letters this time.

I may not be here tomorrow as it is my birthday and I haven't decided whether or not I will be around the blogging world on my one day of the year. I have nothing planned, but I already have lots of cash to spend, so I may be busy.

Good Luck

This is just a very quick post to everyone who is taking part in the readathon tomorrow. I won't be around at all to cheer you on as I am going into London for the day to go to the Big Stamp and Scrapbook show which I attend twice a year. I get to have a real girly day with all my friends, which doesn't happen very often. I know I won't be back until late and I will be very exhausted, so probably won't get on the PC till Sunday, when you are just about to finish.

So I wish you all the very best of luck and hope that you get lots and lots of books read. I am really jealous and hope one day to be able to join in, although with the time difference, I think I might struggle with the lack of sleep and it not starting here until lunchtime. Perhaps we need to hold a British version of it too.

Anyway good luck and I will see you all on Sunday.

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville

Pages - 521

Challenges - Support Your Local Library Challenge, Young Adult Challenge and Once Upon a Time Challenge

Published in 2008 by Macmillan Children's Books.

In an unremarkable room, in a nondescript building, a man sat working on very non-descript theories.

The man was surrounded by bright chemicals in bottles and flasks, charts and gauges, and piles of books like battlements around him. He propped them open on each other. He cross-referred them, seeming to read several at the same time; he pondered, made notes, crossed the notes, went hunting for facts of history , chemistry and geography.

Un Lun Dun is a young adult fantasy set in an alternate London. The book begins with two young girls called Zanna and Deena noticing a change in their normal reality. Things seem to be watching them and following them. They cannot control their curiosity any more and they follow a spying broken umbrella down into a basement, where they find an entrance to Un Lun Dun. Un Lun Dun is an unusual mirror image of London, but with some very strange inhabitants and buildings. Zanna discovers that she is supposed to be the chosen one to help save Un Lun Dun from the Smog, an evil cloud of pollution based on the real smog of the 1950's. However, Zanna's role as the chosen one is short lived and Deena steps forward to help to save Un Lun Dun from the evil Smog.

For some reason and I have absolutely no idea why, this book seemed to take forever to read. It wasn't boring or full of difficult passages that needed to be thought over. It wasn't even an adult book. I think the reason it took so long, was because the book basically took London, turned it upside down, shook it around a bit and made the impossible possible. Thus taking longer to absorb as I tried to make out and visualise London's alter ego, Un Lun Dun. The book concentrated so much on the setting, that I felt quite lost as to what was going on in the beginning. At over 500 pages, it took the first 100 to set the scenery and character descriptions straight in my head, before I then hungrily devoured the story. After that I really loved it, but it did take a long time to read.

Some of the characters were just so unbelievable that they were believable. My favourite were the binja's, which were ninja bins. I want one as a bodyguard. It was almost as if Mieville let his imagination get carried away and wrote down everything that came to mind and put it all in the book. I got confused at the beginning as the story seemed to be following Zanna as the main character, only to find a quarter way through that Deeba was actually the main character and Zanna no longer even featured in the book.

Deeba is a very strong main character and doesn't seem to lose her nerve or suffer from fear or disillusionment. A lot of the other characters appeared to be nondescript and I found I had no feeling for them. The only ones I liked were the cute Utterlings, who came into being by the sound of a voice.

The descriptions of Un Lun Dun were amazing and rather hilarious. They would definitely make good visuals in a film production of the book. The book has rather a dark storyline and I found a couple of bits in it quite sad when innocent creatures died - I really am a woose. It reminded me a little of Alice in Wonderland,as the story is full of nonsensical characters and settings and I have to admit that this type of book would not normally attract my interest.

This book has been compared to the J.K Rowling books, but I really couldn't see the connection. A friend of mine mentioned that it sounded similar to Neil Gaiman's 'Neverwhere', but as I haven't read it, I can't comment. I understand Mieville to be a great adult fiction writer, so I will definitely look out for more of his books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book once I got into it, so I would recommend it highly and advise you persevere through the first hundred or so pages until Deena goes back to Un Lun Dun, then the story really takes off. The first part with Zanna in the role of Chosen One did leave me feeling like it was a false start, but after that I loved it.

Wuthering Wednesday on Thursday!

I was meant to write this post yesterday, but I wasn't sure how to post it and as has I had been absent from the blogging world for a few days, I didn't want to just jump straight in. So I am doing Wuthering Wednesday on Thursday this week, but it will be Wednesday next week.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, then I will explain. I have joined in with Softdrinks's Wuthering Heights read a long which you will find here. We are reading on average three chapters a week and will talk a little about them each week.

So here are my thoughts on chapters 1 to 3 of Wuthering Heights.

Now my knowledge of Wuthering Heights before beginning was rather vague. I knew that there were two characters in it called Heathcliff and Cathy and it was a bit of a love story. I also knew it was set on the moors. I also remember the Kate Bush song Wuthering Heights, which is worth a viewing. That was it. Terrible I know.

Anyway I picked up my lovely 1933 copy of Wuthering Heights which is in hard back and has been kept for many years in my recently deceased father in law's book collection which has come to live with me. I asked my husband if any of his family had ever actually read it and he thought that they hadn't. Isn't that shocking, to think this book has been read at all since it was purchased in 1933! I am over the moon to be the first to read it.

The first three chapters are based on accounts in Lockwood's diary after he takes over as the tenant at Thrushcross Grange. His landlord is Mr Heathcliff and Lockwood decides to pay him a visit. He is not treated well on his visit, yet decides to return the following day. A blizzard occurs the following day and he ends up having to spend the night in the house, much to the disgust of the residents of the house. The housekeeper puts him in a room that is no longer used and Lockwood spends a restless night in there, only to encounter a ghost outside his window upon waking. Lockwood cannot wait to get back to his own property to forget the eventful night that has passed.

The first chapter had me lost. I wasn't expecting a third party to be the narrator. His name is Lockwood and he has to be the most annoying character I have come across since the vicar Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. He just invites himself to Heathcliff's house and expects hospitality on every visit, even though no one has ever invited him. His second visit involves an impromptu sleepover that practically had him running out of the house as dawn crept into the world. It was hilarious and I couldn't help but feel he got his just desserts.

I did not like Lockwood from the start and I worry about how I will find his company through the rest of the book. Heathcliff comes across as frightening and boorish, but not unlikeable. The farm comes across as colourless and frightful, definitely not one for my next English holiday.

I wasn't expecting to smell a gothic aroma filled with ghosts and ghouls. I wasn't expecting to find Cathy as a ghost. That really shook me up. Not to say I didn't enjoy it, it just wasn't what I was expecting. I found the first three chapters very dark and coldness seem to seep into my bones out of the pages of the book. I could hear the branches of the trees brushing against my window and the wind howling around the house. I was there in mind and spirit, attempting to sleep in a haunted room.

I found the first three chapters did confuse me a little. Catherine was referred to by numerous names and it took me a while to realise who she was and that she was dead. Also there were a number of characters that I had never heard of and some of their vocabulary was a little too archaic for my liking.

I came away from the first three chapters, curious as to what has happened to Catherine and definitely wanting to know more about the history of the property. I can't wait to read on.

Sorry!

I know I promised I would be back yesterday, but we have had such a hectic few days I didn't get enough time to write a post or check out any one's blogs, so big apologies from me. I wonder why when the kids are off school, my life becomes far more hectic and I don't even get time to pick up a book, let alone read one. I am hoping for a bit of quality time this afternoon as the girls have to go dancing for a few hours, but as the house is in desperate need of a hoover and a dust, that might not happen.

Anyway, I thought I would catch up today and round up my reading for the month of March.

I read 11 books this month and have to admit finding it a real struggle to keep up with my reading. My usual evening reading routine really didn't happen this month, as the girls seemed to have lots of things on. I also seem to be reading slower, I definitely don't read as many pages each night as I used to.

Here are the 11 books I managed to read.

1) The Girl With The Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

2) The Brontes Went To Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson

3) The Quickening Maze by Adam Fould

4) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

5) Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

6)The Book of Tomorrow by Ceceila Aherne

7) Book Doctor by Esther Cohen

8)Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

9) Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson

10) Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (to be reviewed)

11) Un Lun Dun by China Mieville (to be reviewed)

I had lots of favourites this month. I absolutely loved The Girl With The Glass Feet, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, Brooklyn and Cold Comfort Farm. They are all jostling for that top position and I couldn't possibly pick one as the best.

I absolutely detested Book Doctor and The Quickening Maze wasn't much better.

I successfully wrapped up two challenges this month, The Typically British Challenge and The Bibliophillic Challenge, but still have way to go on all the other ones. Also as I finished two challenges, I added two more, with the Once Upon a Time Challenge and The Non Fiction Five Challenge.

I also started my personal challenge travelling around America and read three books so far for the state of Alabama. I have a few more books to go before I move onto Alaska.

Up until the end of March, I read 39 books, which I don't think is too bad for a quarter of the year. I would really love to get to about 15 this month, but unless I get a whole weekend without any commitments in it, that might not happen. How many did you read this month?

Happy Easter

I just want to be the first to wish you all a Happy Easter. As it is a public holiday here in England and a long weekend I am planning to take four days off to celebrate with my family. I won't be blogging, or commenting, in fact, I hope not to turn my computer on at all until Tuesday, though I may get cold feet by Monday and have to see what you have all been up to.


Anyway have a fabulous Easter and I will see you all on Tuesday.